Commonwealth v. Ovalles

144 A.3d 957, 2016 Pa. Super. 166, 2016 Pa. Super. LEXIS 410, 2016 WL 4035999
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJuly 25, 2016
Docket1585 MDA 2015
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 144 A.3d 957 (Commonwealth v. Ovalles) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Ovalles, 144 A.3d 957, 2016 Pa. Super. 166, 2016 Pa. Super. LEXIS 410, 2016 WL 4035999 (Pa. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION BY STEVENS, P.J.E.:

This is an appeal from the judgment of sentence of life imprisonment entered in the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County by the Honorable Thomas J. Burke on August 13, 2015, following a bench trial and Appellant's conviction of first-degree murder. 1 Upon our review of the record, we affirm.

The trial court aptly set forth the relevant facts and procedural history herein as follows:

*961 On July 7, 2013 at approximately 1:20 a.m., Wilkes-Barre City Police officers were dispatched to the area of 174 South Grant Street, Wilkes-Barre, for a fight in progress with gunshots fired. Officers on the scene discovered the victim, Vaughn Kemp ("Kemp"), lying motionless in the backyard of 174 South Grant Street. Kemp had two gunshot wounds in his lower back area. Kemp was transported to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Hospital for treatment. On July 7, 2013, at approximately 2:05 a.m., Kemp was pronounced dead. After a post mortem examination, the cause of death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
On July 9, 2013, a number of individuals who were at the scene of the homicide were interviewed by police investigators. One such individual was Erik Rodriguez ("Rodriguez"), a juvenile at that time. Rodriguez identified the shooter as being [Appellant], the defendant in the above-captioned case.
[Appellant] was arrested on July 9, 2013 and charged with one count of Homicide, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2501(a). A preliminary hearing was held on August 21, 2013, after which the charge of Homicide was forwarded to the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County. [Appellant] was formally arraigned on October 11, 2013. After multiple continuances and following an appeal of a pretrial determination by the Court, a bench trial commenced on Monday, August 10, 2015. Testimony and closing arguments concluded on Wednesday, August 12, 2015. On Thursday, August 13, 2015, the Court rendered a verdict of guilty of Murder of the first degree, and immediately sentenced [Appellant] to life in prison without parole. [Appellant] filed a Notice of Appeal to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania on August 28, 2015. As per the Court's direction, [Appellant] filed a Concise Statement of Errors Complained of on Appeal ("Concise Statement") on October 9, 2015. This Opinion is submitted pursuant to the Court's obligation set for in Pa.R.A.P.1925(a).
* * *
At trial, Denzel Kemp-McCarthy ("Kemp-McCarthy"), the brother of the victim Kemp, testified on behalf of the Commonwealth. He stated that he attended a party at 174 South Grant Street into the morning hours of July 7, 2013. (N.T. at 26). He noticed [Appellant], whom he knew as "Jay Crim", in the backyard where the party was being held. (N.T[.] at 27-28). During the party, Kemp-McCarthy had a conversation with Ramon Duval ("Duval"). (N.T. at 29). After the conversation, Kemp-McCart[h]y drove home and picked up his brother, Kemp, and his cousin, George Johnson, and brought them to the party. (N.T. at 31). Upon returning to the party, Kemp, Duval and a person named Moe (Maurice Richardson) had a brief exchange of words in the middle of the street, resulting in Kemp attempting to throw a punch at Moe, which Kemp-McCarthy prevented. (N.T. at 35). At that point, a crowd began to gather in the street in front of the residence at 174 South Grant Street and gunshots were fired. (N.T. at 36). After retreating back to the car, Kemp realized his cousin George was still at the party; Kemp returned to get him. (N.T, at 36-37). About ten minutes later, Kemp-McCarthy heard a few more gunshots, and saw people running away from the house. (N.T. at 37). Kemp-McCarthy returned to the backyard where the party was being held, and found his brother (Kemp) lying face down. He immediately realized something *962 was wrong, and called 911. (N.T. at 38).
Ramon Duval [ 2 ] testified on behalf of the Commonwealth. He stated that he arrived to the party at 174 South Grant Street between 11:00 and 12:00 on the night of July 6, 2013. (N.T. at 79). He noticed [Appellant], whom he knew as "Jay Crim", at the party, sitting in the backyard on a sofa. (N.T. at 80-81). Duval also saw Moe on the couch, and approached him. They then went to the front of the house to speak. (N.T. at 82). Kemp approached them while they were at the front of the house, and encouraged Duval to fight with Moe. (N.T. at 84-85). Numerous people started to fill the street, including [Appellant]. (N.T. at 86-87). Duval was very close to [Appellant] when he saw him fire three or four gunshots toward the sky, causing Duval to run. (N.T. at 87). He also testified that he did not see anyone else with a gun when he was in the street. (N.T. at 87-88).
Rodriguez was called to testify on behalf of the Commonwealth. [ 3 ] Rodriguez, who was sixteen in July of 2013, remembered arriving early to the party at 174 South Grant Street to help set up. (N.T. at 105). He testified that [he] saw [Appellant] in the backyard talking with a small group of people. (N.T. at 108). Rodriguez overheard [Appellant] state that he wanted a gun prior to [Appellant] going to the front of the house. (N.T. at 108). Rodriguez testified that he was approximately twenty feet away from [Appellant] in the front of the house when [Appellant] fired three gunshots in the air. (N.T. at 109). Rodriguez testified that he then went to the porch of the residence so that he could see better. (N.T. at 109). At that point, he witnessed Kemp throw a bottle at [Appellant] that missed, hit a car and broke. (N.T. at 111-112). Kemp then ran and tried to duck and hide behind other people. (N.T. at 112-113). [Appellant] then took aim at Kemp, and fired two gunshots in the direction of Kemp. (N.T. at 113, 136). Kemp ran along the side of the residence even after he was shot, and [Appellant] fled in a car. (N.T. at 113). Rodriguez was subsequently interviewed by police two days later, on July 9, 2013. (N.T. at 116). Rodriguez testified at trial that he had been untruthful with the police, telling them that he was inside the residence during the shooting. (N.T. at 116). Cross[-]examination of Rodriguez revealed a number of other inconsistencies in his testimony, including an inconsistent description of the clothing worn by [Appellant] on the night of the shooting. (N.T. at 125, 273). Upon being confronted with the inconsistencies in his testimony regarding the clothing worn by the shooter, Rodriguez admitted same, but immediately and confidently stated that it was [Appellant] whom he saw with a gun. (N.T. at 127). He also confirmed having heard "three (shots) up" and "two when he ( [Appellant] ) shot at him (Kemp)". (N.T. at 128).
Dr. Gary Ross testified on behalf of the Commonwealth. He was qualified as an expert in the field of forensic pathology, which includes an expertise in bullet trajectory within the human body. (NT. at 161-165). Dr. Ross testified that he conducted an autopsy on the *963 victim which revealed two gunshot wounds to his right-lower back. (NJ. at 167).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Com. v. Hill, R.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2026
Com. v. Hannon, L.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2026
Com. v. Primus, Q.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2025
Com. v. McCloud, M.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2025
Com. v. Alhakim, Z.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2025
Com. v. Acosta-Mejia, W.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2025
Com. v. Poole, C.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2025
Com. v. Johnson, K.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2024
Com. v. Reaves, J.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2024
Com. v. White, N.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2024
Com. v. Stasko, J.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2024
Com. v. Handfield, E.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2023
Com. v. Lomax, J.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2023
Com. v. Perez-Rodriguez, R.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2023
Com. v. Judon, B.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2023
Com. v. Moore, D.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2023
Moss v. DeBlaso
M.D. Pennsylvania, 2021
Com. v. Quinn, C.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2021
Com. v. Kinard, I.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2020
Com. v. Cardona, D.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2020

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
144 A.3d 957, 2016 Pa. Super. 166, 2016 Pa. Super. LEXIS 410, 2016 WL 4035999, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-ovalles-pasuperct-2016.